Chapter 79 Savior (1)
The coins were destroyed. Did that mean they couldn’t be used to revive now?
‘No, it can’t be.’
Yoon-seok thought that it wouldn’t be possible. Considering what he’d experienced so far in the Tower…if he lost a duel in the future, it’d be right to say that he wouldn’t be resurrected anymore.
“Huu…”
Yoon-seok sighed. The Hardcore Mode, which started out of the blue, didn’t leave a good impression on him.
‘One mistake, and I’m done for….’
If the duel trial was worth putting up a fight, then fight. If not, it was a dead end. The moment a challenge was selected, the opponent was randomly chosen. One of the two had to be defeated. At this rate, fewer people would attempt to ascend in the future. Most of those who came to the tenth floor would have regained their original strength, as well.
So there was no reason for them to overdo it.
‘Feels like I’m always tested for something other than a trial.’
The normal duel wasn’t repeated. On the fifth floor, a large monster appeared, and on the sixth floor, there was a three on three Great Battle. An admin’s old form appeared on the seventh floor, and on the eighth, challengers were gathered in a large duel. Of course, the highlight was his cloned self on the following floor.
At this point, he felt that the Tower was encouraging challengers to gain as much experience as they could. Not just the physicality of the challengers, but even the inner parts of the challengers were put to the test.
‘Now that I think about it, it was also the same on the fifth floor.’
The C-Rank Return Ticket sold at 200,000 APs. If he used it, he could leave the Tower permanently. Yoon-seok didn’t think it was a tactic prepared by the Tower for the convenience of the challengers.
‘I guess only those who want to come up will ascend.’
Still, Yoon-seok was better than other challengers. He had won all the rounds except for one so far, so he was able to get a decent reward this time. 1.1 million AP. It would be the same amount if it were calculated as 100,000 AP per coin.
‘Let’s stop thinking about the Tower’s intentions and check.’
Yoon-seok opened the challenger profile page and checked the rewards gained from the last duel.
‘Did the AP rewards increase again?’
The reward for the ninth floor was 940,000 AP. With 512,000 AP being fixed as the reward since the 5th floor, the rule was finally broken.
‘It kinda feels like I got rich overnight…anyway, let’s look at the skill first.’
It was his first time discovering the incident, but his rank increased if he learned the skills previously obtained from b Predation}. Yoon-seok checked the information of Avatar.
{Avatar}
Rank C – When transformed into an avatar, the speed of magic recovery increases by 3x.
The effect itself was excellent. Now, he had a reason to transform into an avatar, even if he didn’t need to fly. Apart from that, however, there was some regret. 750,000 AP was required to upgrade a C-rank Unique Skill, so it would have been way more beneficial if the acquired skill was {Bloodseeker’s Energy}, {Azure Dragon Energy}, or b Predation}.
‘Indeed, it would’ve been weird if general skills weren’t acquired.’
Yoon-seok abandoned his lingering feelings and checked his magic stat. The rank remained the same. But…
「Magic 542,500/1,536,000.」
Five hundred twelve thousand points were added to the accumulated 31,500 points. Through the increased figure, he was able to estimate how the stats were absorbed.
‘It must be 1/3 of the rank’s total amount.’
Well, it wasn’t that important. Just knowing the formula wouldn’t change anything.
Yoon-seok finally checked the equipment. Unlike skills, he could say that he scored the best for equipment. A satisfied smile formed on his lips instinctively.
‘I never thought I’d get this….’
It was the Sun Monarch’s Judgment Sword purchased for 1,300LP. He wondered if he could buy another one, but it was unavailable for repurchase in the store…yet, he still received it unexpectedly.
‘As expected, the judgment effect cannot be duplicated.’
He put the Moonlight Sword down and lifted the Judgment Sword. Should he set the original rule? But the rule setting notice didn’t appear. For some reason, holding two Judgment Swords didn’t double up his stats. However, Yoon-seok wasn’t disappointed.
‘Well, it’s not like I didn’t want to buy another one….’
Yoon-seok opened the achievement store and reread the explanation of an item he had his eyes on.
*Equipment Enhancement Ticket – Use duplicate equipment to increase performance. Price: 300LP
The normal store sold items that upgraded equipment, but it didn’t look as efficient. Nevertheless, there was only one reason why Yoon-seok was interested in the Equipment Enhancement Ticket. It was because the equipment sold in the LP store didn’t have a rank attached.
「Purchase has arrived.」
「Please check the lower part of the item.」
Yoon-seok purchased the Enhancement Ticket without a second thought. All abilities increased by one, plus additional buffs that increased while punishing evil made the Judgment Sword worth continuing to use. Although there were conditions, ironically, many challengers and monsters met them.
「Sun Monarch’s Judgment Sword has been enhanced.」
「Light of Purification is imprinted on the User. Re-use timing disappears, and magic is consumed during usage.」
White light engulfed the two Judgment Swords, and soon they merged into one. The appearance didn’t change much, however. Well, nothing much had changed.
‘Huh, that’s it?’
Yoon-seok tried the active effect of the Judgment Sword, Light of Purification. It didn’t show a flash of light like before but gently spread around him like a halo. Perhaps because it used Bloodseeker’s Energy instead of magic, the light had a reddish hue.
‘This is also an upgrade, but…’
Yoon-seok smacked his lips. Being able to use a sword without lifting it didn’t feel like a big advantage. To be frank, he rarely used Light of Purification. He felt like something was missing.
‘Whatever, let’s finish the rest.’
If he had that much AP, he could upgrade magic to A-rank for about 1.5 million AP. But Yoon-seok decided to focus more on his skills than stats.
‘I’m finally upgrading this.’
Yoon-seok used 750,000 APs to upgrade b Bloodseeker’s Ultimatum} to rank B.
{Bloodseeker’s Ultimatum}
Rank B – Heart of the Avatar is unlocked.
Heart? After checking the explanation, Yoon-seok’s eyes glinted with confusion.
“…”
Pain radiated from his chest. Yoon-seok, who didn’t bat an eye at {Torture Technician}, was forced to one knee. He tried to hold it in, but the pain was unbearable. Eventually, Yoon-seok couldn’t stand the pain and screamed.
“Gasp. Gasp.….”
Like a dream in the middle of the night, the pain disappeared without a trace. Yoon-seok managed to get up from his position while holding his upper abdomen with one hand. There was a sense of emptiness as if his heart had been torn apart. But it didn’t last long.
“…?”
The energy that circulated his body filled in the space in his heart. Then stopped.
‘What’s this?’
The energy, which had temporarily shrunk as it headed toward his heart, slowly returned to its original state over time. In the end, it meant that the total capacity increased with the heart’s appearance…
‘…But isn’t that pointless now?’
He tried several times, but the energy in his heart wouldn’t budge. Judging from his experience, he was sure that it wasn’t just meaningless growth. However, he decided to put off the experimentation and continued.
「Rank of King of All Swords (Rank C) has increased.」
「Rank of King of All Swords (Rank C+) has increased.」
It turned rank B-, and the base value of the power had increased by 2 to 2.5 times when sword-related weapons were used. And…
「You can select the characteristics of King of All Swords (Rank B-).」
The selection of characteristics that he was looking forward to appeared. Yoon-seok calmly and carefully read every single word.
—Characteristics 1: Armory
Weapons can be stored indefinitely in subspace. When a weapon is obtained during storage, Phantom Energy will be activated for ten minutes.
—Characteristics 2: All Swords Territory
Non-sword weapons will be reduced by 1/3 within the All Swords Territory.
There was no ounce of doubt. Having an armory that could be opened and closed at any time was appealing, but he could already handle seven swords with Phantom Energy. Well, he didn’t even know what Phantom Energy entailed, but…
「You have chosen the characteristic of All Sword Territory in King of All Swords.」
Was it because he had high expectations? To be honest, neither characteristic fully met his expectations. Therefore, he decided to create a skill to better use the King of All Swords as planned.
「A new skill has been acquired.」
「A new skill has been acquired.」
「A new skill has been acquired.」
「A new skill has been acquired.」
Amplified Arithmetic, Enhanced Thinking, Focus, Brain Burst, Automaticity, Ego Booster…Yoon-seok purchased the skills he had in mind the other day and synthesized them. Since each skill had different rankings, he had no choice but to upgrade them.
‘I have been getting weird stuff….’
He thought if he synthesized these skills, he would get what he wanted, but it wasn’t that easy. Was the direction wrong from the start? As the skills to be used for synthesis reached rank C+, it felt like he was slowly falling into a swamp.
「Skill has been synthesized.」
「Acquired Yin and Yang.」
The name itself was unique. However, after experiencing repeated disappointments, Yoon-seok checked the skill effects with no expectations.
*Yin and Yang (Rank C+) – Original skill by Challenger Choi Yoon-seok. Two thoughts can be operated simultaneously. Concentration increases by 30%.
‘Uh, this is…’
‘I think it’s going to work?’
Yoon-seok was startled after reading about the effects.
‘…?’
‘…?’
How should he explain this?
‘What, this is how it is?’
‘What, this is how it is?’
Having two thoughts at once felt as if a clone had settled in the corner of his mind.
“Blerghhh!”
Feeling a sensation he’d never experienced in his life, Yoon-seok suddenly felt a terrible wave of motion sickness and heaved. But humans were adaptable animals. He slowly grew used to it over time.
‘Just once.’
‘Let’s try it out and decide.’
The nauseating feeling subsided, and he could move again. Yoon-seok formed a Bloodseeker Sword in the air. His original limit was controlling five…
Whooooooosh!
There were now ten swords in total. Maybe because of the increased concentration, it was easier to operate them as well.
‘It’s because it’s so efficient….’
‘I guess I just have to use it.’
Although there was a difference in the intensity of his discomfort, it was similar to the wings of Avatar. It was just a new, unfamiliar kind of sensation. Once he fully adapted, he wouldn’t feel uncomfortable anymore. Soon after, Yoon-seok checked the remaining amount of 775,000 AP.
‘I’ve already spent 360,000.’
He didn’t expect to spend so much, but things ended up like this because he thought nothing was working out. Fortunately, the right skill appeared, so the investment wasn’t a waste.
‘What do I do with this?’
His first thought was to upgrade {Predation} with 750,000 APs, but…if he lost in a duel, he would die for real. He wondered if it was right to invest APs in {Predation}. It was different for the lower floors. It would be reckless to think that the challengers who won against themselves on the ninth floor would be as easy as before.
‘Let’s raise the stats first, then decide later.’
Yoon-seok used 768,000 APs to raise Agility from rank B to A-. As a result, both his magic and agility crossed the threshold to rank A.
‘Let’s keep the remaining 7,000 AP….’
Soon Yoon-seok quietly closed his eyes and began to explore the Heart. But as if he had it all wrong on the fundamental level, he couldn’t find any clues. In the end, Yun-seok ended his thoughts on the Heart and recalled the fierce battle from the last duel. Bloodseeker Energy and Azure Dragon Energy, Graft, Strongness and Fluidity…
Besides that, the duel with his clone offered him an abundance of inspiration. Yoon-seok recalled them one by one, organizing it in his head.
‘Feels like I’m cramming homework at the end of the holidays.’
The thought crossed his mind when he saw himself. It was very different from then. Yoon-seok’s smiling face wasn’t any different than a child with many new toys.
How much time has passed since then?
Yoon-seok didn’t even know. He went deep inside and observed himself to face his numerous questions and doubts. Well, it ended relatively quickly, though. This time, thanks to the help of Yin and Yang, which enabled him to follow two lines of thought at once, the efficiency of mind training had doubled.
Soon Yoon-seok stood and approached the tablet. Yet, it wasn’t to go for next-floor trials immediately.
‘It said it was a United Plaza….’
Does it mean that the plaza wouldn’t be divided according to floors from the tenth floor onwards? He would have to see it for himself.
‘Let’s go. I might get some unexpected information.’
「Moving to the 10th-floor plaza.」
When he closed his eyes and opened them again, dozens of people were surrounding him. It suddenly reminded him of the sixth-floor plaza.
But it was different from then.
“…”
No weapons were aimed at him, and he felt no hostility. No, rather…
The pretense of trying to look good was reflected on their faces.
“You’re from new duels, aren’t you? Hello, we’re from Seheranbad….”
“We are the guardians of Moorim. If you want to join us, we’ll give you a lot of…”
As they rushed to talk to Yoon-seok, it felt like they were recruiters. There were also those from Earth. However, the person who approached was a little different.
“Choi Yoon-seok, right?”
He spoke politely, referring to the exact name of the masked Yoon-seok.
“I’ve been waiting. Why don’t you come with me? I want to talk to you about the things that happened on Earth.”
That was great. He had questions too.
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